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Palestinians inspecting a car after it was destroyed by an IAF strike in Gaza City on Monday. (Reuters)
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Last update - 22:46 19/12/2007
Islamic Jihad swears revenge as 11 killed in IDF raids in Gaza
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies
Tags: Israel Air Force, Gaza 

The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday continued its assault on Gaza Strip militants responsible for the Qassam rockets that batter southern Israel on a daily basis, raising the death toll among Islamic Jihad and Hamas to 11 during the course 24 hours.

The strikes are the IDF's most deadly military response in months to the frequent attacks from the Hamas-controlled territory.

Islamic Jihad, the group primarily behind Qassam strikes on Sderot and other Negev communities, said three of its members were killed as they walked out of a mosque in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning. The three were named as Osama Yassin, Samir Baher, Hussam Abu Jbil.
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Meanwhile, an Israel Air Force strike targeted the ruling Hamas organization Tuesday, killing at least two members of the group in a strike on a security position in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis, Hamas officials said. They were named as Hani Barhoum and Mohammed A-Sharif.

The IDF said the Khan Yunis attack was in response to mortars fired earlier at southern Israel. It said five rockets were also launched by Gaza militants. No one was hurt on the Israeli side.

On Monday night, two IAF strikes killed six Islamic Jihad militants, including a senior Gaza commander, prompting the group to threaten a wave of "martyrdom" attacks in response to the killings, a phrase used in the past to denote suicide bombings within Israel.

"Blood for blood and bombardment for bombardment," an Islamic Jihad
activist cried through a loudspeaker at a funeral Tuesday for the men killed in Israel Air Force strikes.

Gunmen fired in the air, accidentally severing a high-voltage power line, which fell on the crowd of mourners, killing one person and injuring at least seven others.

Palestinian officials said Majed Harazin, one of the dead, was the most senior Islamic Jihad commander to be killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip in more than a year.

'Turn off phones, stay out of cars'
Seeking to dodge the IDF attacks, an Islamic Jihad official broadcast Tuesday on a radio frequency used by Gaza militants, and ordered fighters to turn off their mobile phones and remove their batteries to foil Israeli electronic tracking. They were also told to stay out of vehicles.

Islamic Jihad supporters gathered at the morgue Tuesday and pledged revenge. "The blood of our comrades will be the fuel for the rockets that will bring death and destruction to the Zionists," Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza told reporters.

In one of the airstrikes Monday night, the IDF said it targeted a cell that was about to fire rockets at Israel. Undercover troops took part in the attack, the military said, and the leader of the cell was killed. Two other militants also died. The remains of a fourth militant killed in the same strike were discovered Tuesday morning, according to Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza Health Ministry.

Both Israel and Islamic Jihad identified him as Karim al-Dahdouh, known as a master rocket-maker. The Israeli missiles obliterated a car on a narrow road, and rescue teams searched for body parts in a nearby grove.

The four other militants killed Monday night were named as Jihad Zahar, Karim A-Dahduh, Iman Al-Illa, Amar Abu Said and Mohamman Karamsi.

The IDF said the air strikes targeted militants who participated in firing rockets at Israel. The IDF often carries out airstrikes and ground operations aimed at Palestinian rocket squads.

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      1.   Israel is dropping War Crimes for X-Mas 21:23  |  POP 17/12/07
      2.   Way to Go!! 21:43  |  Steve 17/12/07
      3.   "The blood of our fellow criminals.."Always the flowery lingo! 21:49  |  Alan 17/12/07
      4.   Bravo! Idf has recruited a Hamas member informing on rivals in Ji 21:51  |  Absolute Sweden 17/12/07
      5.   good job 21:53  |  vik 17/12/07
      6.   Thus shall perish all your enemies, Oh Israel 21:55  |  Marabu 17/12/07
      7.   POP Goes The Weasel 22:09  |  Ron 17/12/07
      8.   and POP is dropping acid 22:10  |  shockcorridor 17/12/07
      9.   camels are safer 22:12  |  leo 17/12/07
      10.   POP - Haaret`s z comic relief 22:12  |  Ilya 17/12/07
      11.   Tally ho! Good shot IAF! 22:14  |  Alex Frank 17/12/07
      12.   Hamas are rather good at poetry 22:22  |  Adrian de Klerk 17/12/07
      13.   Brilliant! 22:26  |  Alex Frank 17/12/07
      14.   POP 22:27  |  amish 17/12/07
      15.   How Are These Guys So GOOD?! 22:27  |  Listener 17/12/07
      16.   No POP, just giving them 72 virgins for X-Mas 22:28  |  Cynic 17/12/07
      17.   Great News - Another Jew Killer Bites the Dust 22:31  |  Tod Zuckerman 17/12/07
      18.   Hamas Radio????? 22:35  |  IsraFan 17/12/07
      19.   get the virgins ready...... 22:36  |  michael Johnson 17/12/07
      20.   Excellent work 22:38  |  Joseph 17/12/07
      21.   you should prepare your graveclothes 22:41  |  qassam rocket 17/12/07
      22.   congrates 22:46  |  arab 17/12/07
      23.   Keep it up 22:47  |  Richard 17/12/07
      24.   #6, Marabu... 22:49  |  Silvienne 17/12/07
      25.   Awesome! 22:57  |  Mike 17/12/07
      26.   more more and more only way to save jewish and pals lives. 23:05  |  ralph 17/12/07
      27.   more more and more only way to save jewish and pals lives. 23:05  |  ralph 17/12/07
      28.   Good job, but only the beginning 23:06  |  Steve 17/12/07
      29.   Baruch Hashem 23:08  |  Ben 17/12/07
      30.   POP #1 23:11  |  BRL 17/12/07
      31.   Congrats to the dear heros from our IDF & IAF! 23:16  |  protected civilian 17/12/07
      32.   Kaboom! 23:20  |  SLAVO 17/12/07
      33.   POP weeps for dead terrorists!!! 23:20  |  DR 17/12/07
      34.   Very Tragic Day For Freedom Fighters 23:28  |  Satmar Hasid 17/12/07
      35.   TO NO TWO. 23:31  |  DANNY. 17/12/07
      36.   POP #1 23:31  |  yossi 17/12/07
      37.   POP, BOP 23:34  |  Brant 17/12/07
      38.   WELL DONE IDF. 23:35  |  DANNY NO 5. 17/12/07
      39.   Re: POOP #1 23:36  |  Jabotinsky 17/12/07
      40.   TO NO 6 MARABU. 23:39  |  DANNY 17/12/07
      41.   The Graves That Hamas Is Digging For The IDF ... 23:43  |  Lavi 17/12/07
      42.   #1 POP goes the weasel again 23:44  |  * BEN JABO 17/12/07
      43.   NO civillians killed in this strike.Pals targets ARE civillians 23:45  |  PETER SM 17/12/07
      44.   Outrageous attack! 23:49  |  Ricardo 17/12/07
      45.   At least he wont have the dilemma to recognise Israel or not 23:49  |  Alan 17/12/07
      46.   shin bet and IAF did a great job on that one 23:54  |  Joey 17/12/07
      47.   Well Done Israel! 23:55  |  Gina 17/12/07
      48.   We should wave them the carrot, too 00:02  |  Right Winger 18/12/07
      49.   To POP and other pinheads..WAY TO GO IAF 00:06  |  The Equalizer 18/12/07
      50.   #33 Ricardo I agree 00:22  |  Adrian de Klerk 18/12/07
      51.   Senior Islamic Jihad commander dies in IAF strike in Gaza City 00:25  |  Southern Cross 18/12/07
      52.   Kol Hakavod!! 00:26  |  Adam 18/12/07
      53.   Friggin good, WTG IDF 00:26  |  Johnny 18/12/07
      54.   An awesome fireworks display to celebrate 20 years of Hamas 00:28  |  Richard S 18/12/07
      55.   olmert, barak finally waking up out of their doze 00:29  |  don 18/12/07
      56.   #9 he himself was like a camel 00:32  |  arab 18/12/07
      57.   # 21 qassam...you guys aren`t doing very well 00:38  |  Lynn 18/12/07
      58.   Kol Hakavod IDF 00:53  |  Zolman ben Moshe 18/12/07
      59.   Gaza Attack 00:54  |  hate satmar 18/12/07
      60.   Islamic Jihad 00:54  |  Al Sands 18/12/07
      61.   Reponse to Amish.The meaning of POP ! 00:56  |  Standclear 18/12/07
      62.   Another BUY ONE GET ONE FREE 2fer 00:58  |  Alan 18/12/07
      63.   greenhouse 00:58  |  mike 18/12/07
      64.   IDF is the light to the nations,Bravo and many 01:09  |  TOMY 18/12/07
      65.   To 34: Satmar "Hasid" 01:13  |  DT 18/12/07
      66.   #15 Listener,you are right,the whole world is 01:17  |  TOMY 18/12/07
      67.   Kudos We`re a Bunch of Bloodthirsty Warmongers 01:21  |  Israeli 18/12/07
      68.   #21 qassam rocket,You sound very upset 01:24  |  TOMY 18/12/07
      69.   Alan - Very funny! 01:34  |  Gina 18/12/07
      70.   hamas leader 01:35  |  tom 18/12/07
      71.   #44 01:40  |  danny 18/12/07
      72.   LOL @ Everyone who responded to me 01:48  |  POP 18/12/07
      73.   Satmar Hasid, read Torah, Tanakh you are unaware of g-d`s law 01:51  |  Erdogan 18/12/07
      74.   #34Satmar,Stop defaming the name of 01:57  |  TOMY 18/12/07
      75.   My condolences to their families! 01:58  |  Murray of Montreal 18/12/07
      76.   #1 Plop, plop, plop 02:08  |  Ian Robertson 18/12/07
      77.   A special message for POP 02:21  |  leo 18/12/07
      78.   #44 02:21  |  mike 18/12/07
      79.   Ricardo`s fairy tale 02:23  |  Maurice 18/12/07
      80.   Peace talks 02:24  |  Frank